VA-Vol-0-No-1-Oct-1972

AND

CLASSIC

': DIVISION • HALES CORNERS, WISCONSIN 53130.414/425-4860 ....

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1972 GRAND CHAMPION 1928 WACO ATO "TAPERWING"

OWNED BY

GORDON BOURLAND, JR.

FT. WORTH, TEXAS

20TH ANNUAL EAA FLY-IN CONVENTION

WITTMAN FIELD, OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN

JULY 30 - AUGUST 5,1972

PRESIDENT

•

DAVE JAMESON 4322 BELLHAVEN LANE OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN 54901

SECRETARY

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DICK WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS, WISCONSIN 53148

VICE

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J. R. NIELANDER, JR. EXECAIR P. O. BOX 2464 FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 33303

TREASURER

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NICK REZICH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD. ROCKFORD , ILLINOIS 61102

PRES.

ANTIQUE CLASSIC NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 1972

Oshkosh '72--0ur first international meet since our formation, and with it some real successes as well as a very interesting learning process.

The meet got off to a rather slow start, as poor weather kept many of our members and their planes far from the Convention. A few owners stuck with it, however, and arrived toward the end of the week. Several, however, carne commercially, with their "socked-in" planes along the way.

One of the highlights, and great successes, proved to be our own forum and meeting tent adjacent to the Antique/Classic parking area.

The Antique forums, headed by George York, and the Classics by J. R. Nielander,Jr. covered just about every possible phase of individual restoration, care and mainte­ nance of the many individual makes and models of our birds. In most instances, these meetings were conducted by the Presidents· of National-type Clubs, and the exchange of information was not only authorative by very comprehensive, and covered the widest range of interests that we've ever had at a fly-in.

Poor weather prevented our first "fly-out" until the third day of the Convention, and then a goodly group of planes departed wittman Field for Wautoma, Wisconsin, a small community about 40 miles west of Oshkosh.

Wautoma, blessed with three wide and handsome grass rnnways, proved to be the favorite fly-out airport of the meet, and all the participants seemed to enjoy themselves.

Our fly-in caterer would provide box lunches for those ordering them, and soft drinks were available at the fly-out airport. About all we had to do was enjoy ourselves ana there were many exchanges of buddy riding and flying, as well as the fun of carefree • flying around an uncrowded airport.

Our next Antique and Classic Division meeting will be held Saturday, November 18th at Haedtler Hall, EAA Headquarters, Hales Corners, Wisconsin. The meeting will get under way at 10:00 a.m. and is open to all members and officers of the Division .

For those who arrive in town on Friday, a social hour will be held at EAA Headquarters beginr;ng at 6:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity to meet fellow members and browse through the EAA Air Museum.

On the agenda will be election of Officers for the forthcoming year, ratification of the Division's by-laws, pl~nning for 1973 Convention activities, the desirability of a dues structure and a newsl~tter for the Division, the possibility of a new Antique and Classic fly-in--plus, topics from the floor.

(Dick Stouffer Photo

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Grand Champion Classic, Piper J-3 "Cub". David G. Hamilton, Anderson, Ind .

Reserve Grand Champion, Howard DGA足 15P, John R. Turgyan, Trenton, N.J.

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

World War I Era - Best Monoplane - 1919 Penguin (Flying Replica) . Tom Gunderson, Twin Valley, Minn.

Funk Ba5C "Bee" -

Scott Boyer, Deshler, Ohio

Motels nearest EAA Headquarters are the Pineview (414/425-6700) and the Golden

Key (414/543-5300).

If you plan to attend the meeting--and everyone is encouraged to do so--please contact: Bonnie Poberezny, Division Secretary, EAA, Box 229, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130 (414/425-4860) so that we will have some idea of how many persons to prepare for.

We look forward to seeing all of you at Hales Corners--November 18.

Dave Jameson President EAA Antique and Classic Division

A LENAPE "PAPOOSE" CUB

by

Jack Cox

At 4:15 a.m. on the morning of May 17, 1938 a Piper "Cub" lifted off the runway at Newark, New Jersey. 63 hours and 54 minutes, 2,390 miles, 223 gallons of gas and 25 quarts of oil later the little bird fluttered to earth again on the same runway.

Non-stop from Newark to Miami and return • • • in a J-3? engined "Cub"???

A 3 cylinder, radial

It happened. • • honest!

In the late 1930s--before the super successful Continental A-65 became the "Standard of the World" for the little two-seaters--the manufacturers were trying everything with pistons in the 40 to around 10("1 horsepower range. One of the more unusual variations was the 3 cylinder Lenape r~dial, an improved version of the earlier Aeromarine engine.

Piper built around 30 J-3s powered by the 50 h.p. Lenape "Papoose". these, NC20280, is the subject of our saga.

One of

Long distance and endurance flights were front page stuff in the pre-World War II era and, thus, were easy and relatively inexpensive ways for the struggling 1ightp1ane manufacturers to get their products before the general public. Piper decided it could stand some headlines, so--along with the Lenape Company--sent pilots Kenneth Kress and Glenn Englert off to break a class endurance record that then stood at 26 hours and 18 minutes and a distance of 716 miles.

For the attempt, a "Papoose" powered Cub was selected--stock except for the installation of a 15 gallon belly tank and a wobble pump to transfer fuel to the main fuselage tank. A battery powered Lear radio receiver was also on board.

Refueling was to be accomplished by simply buzzing along over an auto and snatching up cans of gas and oil (and an occasional battery) via a 50 foot and 1/4 inch rope. Planned en-route rope act/fuel rendezvous were the airports of Raleigh, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida.

Taking off at a weight of 1324 pounds (after a 17 second run), the intrepid aviators battled headwinds and low ceilings for the next two and a half days.

After reaching Jacksonville and refueling, they started out for Miami but were turned back by zero-zero conditions, so, rer.urned to Jacksonville and circled the city until dawn. At first light they refueled a second time and proceeded to Miami--and then back north to Newark.

The same morning Kress and Englert landed--backsides completely numb--Doug1as Corrigan headed off for Ireland following his alledgedly "wrong-way" compass.

Only one Lenape powered Cub is known to be flying today • • • and its sports registration N20280 . It is not, however, the Kress/Englert record breaker. The original has long since passed into oblivion. A. S. Garrison of Catonsville, Maryland has restored a 1939 J-3 to be as close to the first one as possible.

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Silver Age Category Champion, . Piper J-3 (Lenape Powered) AI Garrison, Catonsville, Md.

His 1939 model (Serial Number 4058) was a Continental powered bird when it rolled out of Piper's old converted textile mill at Lock Haven, but now has a 50 horsepower Lenape "Papoose" and the appropriate cowl足 ing for the three jugs . , Mr. Gar.r.ison has not fitted a belly ta~, but, otherwise, the yellow bird is a dead ringer for the first 20280.

Garrison and his wife flew the rare plane to Oshkosh this year--sending his long-suffering son along by--ughl--autol At every opportunity during the week he surprised Fly-in goers who kept looking up to see what that funny sounding airplane was--only to find it was a Cub. From a distance, and at certain angles, i~ was hard to distinguish the radial--sc when the Cub landed it always drew a crowd cu足 rious to see where that round engine sound was originating.

Most were unaware Piper ever made such a machine.

The Garrisons later chugged back east-足 at a mighty 60 m. p. h. cruisel--proudly transporting the Silver Age-Category Cham足 pion award for their beautiful and unique little vintage aircraft